Hi My computer seems to be using more than 64M of memory when there are no applications running, but there seems tobe an awfual lot of processes running in the memory . how can i eliminate these processes from loading with Windows , what should i do stop my computer from eating up memory? I have 64 M of RAM installed . Thanks

Elimiate as much as possible from your System Tray (icons next to your clock at the bottom-right of the screen) and out of your Startup Folder. Most of the remaining processes are necessary under W2K. You will find W2K performance to be significantly better with 128MB RAM, and tremendously better with 256MB RAM. With RAM as cheap as it is right now, consider upgrading if you want W2K to be a viable operating system. Just a thought...

There are several services which you can shut down, to free up ram, I hope this helps. Much like previous versions of Windows NT, Windows 2000 also uses Services. These allow support for other programs/hardware, etc. To run correctly. Or you can use them to improve security a little. By default Windows 2000 (Professional in my case) automatically runs many of these services & consumes more memory than it actually may need to for your particular needs, E.g. If you don't intend to use Task Scheduler or Fax Service, then why waste memory on running them automatically ? In this guide I'll cover what each service does & whether or not you really need it. Currently this guide is the most comprehensive of it's sort (In terms of content & amount of Services covered). Services Begin by logging on as Adminstrator. This gives you access to all the Services available. To enter the Services program. Click on Start, Settings, Control Panel, Adminstrative Tools, Services. Depending on how your Start Menu is setup, you may also be able to access it via the Programs, Adminstrative Tools submenu. This lists all the services that are available on your system. In particular look at the Startup type field, this is the attribute which needs to be changed. 3 options are available & they are listed in the following section. Dependencies A Dependency is; A relationship of reliance between 2 or more resources that makes it necessary for them to run in the same group on the same node. In relation to Services, some Services are dependant on others to run correctly. To find out whether or not a Service is dependant on others open the Service as shown below & select the Dependencies tab. This may affect whether or not you can Disable a service properly or whether a Service will always run at startup. This may help you troubleshoot if a problem arises after disabling a Service. Disabled, Automatic or Manual ? These are the 3 choices that face you for each particular service available. What's the difference between each 3 options ? Well. Disabled - The service is not automatically started when you load Windows 2000. If needed it cannot be started either until you reset the Startup Type to Automatic/Manual & reboot. Automatic - The service is automatically started when you load Windows 2000. Manual - The service is not automatically started when you load Windows 2000. Although it can be loaded if/when it is needed. In order to change any of these settings you must enter the Properties of the respective Service. To do so Right click on the appropriate Service & select Properties. From the Startup type drop-down menu you can select how an item starts up. Click Apply after you have made any changes. Then select Ok to return to the list. It should be noted that it is usually more recommended that you set a Service to Manual rather than Disabled. Although, as shown later the Disabled a Service altogether does have its uses. Emergency procedure What happens if you disable a Service that was actually needed & your PC isn't functioning properly as a result ? This problem occured with me early on & I was unable to restart the Service via Administrative Tools (Error message caused by the disabled Service). What you (& I) need to do is some registry editing. Click on Start, Run, type in regedit & hit Enter. In this subsection [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services] the startup type for every service is also stored. Selecting the appropriate service there will be a DWORD value entitled Start. The value for this determines startup type, as in the previous section. A value of 4 indicates Disabled. A value of 3 indicates Manual. A value of 2 indicates Automatic. E.g. From the screenshot below you can see that I have the Fax service disabled. NOTE - This method for changes Startup type is only needed/recommended if you experience difficulties after changing a service Startup type (particularly after disabling a Service). Services list & recommendation Alerter: Notifies selected users & computers of administrative alerts. Leave this set to Manual if you aren't connected to a network. If you are connected to a network set it to Automatic, this will allow you System Administrator to be notified when something goes wrong (usually), which may aid them in fixing the problem. Application Management: Provides software installation services such as Assign, Publish, & Remove. Leave this set to Manual. ClipBook: Supports ClipBook Viewer, which allows pages to be seen by remote ClipBooks. Set this to Manual to enable users to be able to view information on the Clipbook server. You shouldn't ever need to set this to Automatic. COM+ Event System: Provides automatic distribution of events to subscribing COM components. Set this to Automatic. Services list & recommendation (Cont.) Computer Browser: Maintains an up-to-date list of computers on your network & supplies the list to programs that request it. Set this to Manual if you aren't connected to a network. If you are connected to a network set it to Automatic. DHCP Client: Manages network configuration by registering & updating IP addresses & DNS names. If you on a network, connected to a specified DCHP server set this to Automatic. Those who are not connected to a network (or specific DCHP server) set this to Manual. Distributed Link Tracking Client: Sends notifications of files moving between NTFS volumes in a network domain. Set this to Manual. Although its highly unlikely many of you will use this particular Service. If however you are connected to a Windows 2000 domain & use the NTFS file system, set it to Automatic. Distributed Transaction Coordinator: Coordinates transactions that are distributed across two or more databases, message queues, file systems, or other transaction protected resource managers. Leave this set to Manual. DNS Client: Resolves & caches Domain Name System (DNS) names. Set this to Automatic if connecting to a specified DNS server on your network. Otherwise set it to Manual. Event Log: Logs event messages issued by programs & Windows. Event Log reports contain information that can be useful in diagnosing problems. Reports are viewed in Event Viewer. Leave this set to Automatic, this will allow you to view/log errors in programs & is needed to track certain activities, such as Performance logs ( Covered in the Windows 2000 memory guide to be posted soon). Fax Service: Helps you send & receive faxes. This service gets installed if fax capable modem is installed in your machine. If you have no intention of using the fax capabilities however set this to Manual or Disabled. If you intend to use the fax a lot then set this to Automatic. Indexing Service: Indexes contents & properties of files on local & remote computers; provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language. The Indexing service is similar to FindFast in Microsoft Office, although is seen as far more useful. Most of you should be fine leaving this set to Manual/Disabled. If you need this, you'll know. Internet Connection Sharing: Provides network address translation, addressing, & name resolution services for all computers on your home network through a dial-up connection. If your network is sharing an Internet connection set this to Automatic. If no Internet connection is being shared you can Disable this. IPSEC Policy Agent: Manages IP security policy & starts the ISAKMP/Oakley (IKE) & the IP security driver. If you aren't connected to a Windows 2000 domain you can set this to Manual. If you are connected to a Windows 2000 domain set this to Automatic. Logical Disk Manager: Logical Disk Manager Watchdog Service. Leave this set to Manual. Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service: Administrative service for disk management requests. Leave this set to Manual. Services list & recommendation (Cont.) Messenger: Sends & receives messages transmitted by administrators or by the Alerter service. Leave this set to Manual. Only set it to Automatic if you're connected to a Windows 2000 domain/network. Net Logon: Supports pass-through authentication of account logon events for computers in a domain. If you are connected to a Windows 2000 domain set this to Manual. Set it to Manual if you aren't to. NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing: Allows authorized people to remotely access your Windows desktop using NetMeeting. For security reasons I'd recommend you set this to Disabled unless you really need to use it, in which case set it to Manual. Network Connections: Manages objects in the Network & Dial-Up Connections folder, in which you can view both local area network & remote connections. I've found that this Service generally gets started whether set to Manual or not. So its probably best to set this to Automatic. Network DDE: Provides network transport & security for dynamic data exchange (DDE). Set this to Automatic if you use DDE. If you need this you should know that you need it. Set it to Manual otherwise. Network DDE DSDM: Manages shared dynamic data exchange & is used by Network DDE. As above, set this to Automatic if you use DDE. If you need this you should know that you need it. Set it to Manual otherwise. NT LM Security Support Provider: Provides security to remote procedure call (RPC) programs that use transports other than named pipes. Leave this set to Manual. Performance Logs & Alerts: Configures performance logs & alerts. If you have your system configured to track events/system performance, etc. Upon startup set this to Automatic. If your system isn't configured like this leave it set to Manual. Plug & Play: Manages device installation & configuration & notifies programs of device changes. Set this to Automatic. It will make hardware installation far easier. Print Spooler: Loads files to memory for later printing. If you don't have a printer installed you can leave this Disabled/Manual. Otherwise set it to Manual, it's not needed to run this Automatically really. Protected Storage: Provides protected storage for sensitive data, such as private keys, to prevent access by unauthorized services, processes, or users. If your system contains such sensitive data then you should set this to Automatic (to keep it protected at all time). If your system isn't connected to the Internet (how are you reading this ;)) then you can safely set this to Manual. QoS RSVP: Provides network signaling & local traffic control setup functionality for QoS-aware programs & control applets. Leave this set to Manual, most users will not be using such programs & have no need to set it to Automatic. If you do however set it to Automatic. You should know whether or not you need this. Services list & recommendation (Cont.) Remote Access Auto Connection Manager: Creates a connection to a remote network whenever a program references a remote DNS or NetBIOS name or address. Leave this set to Automatic if you have a modem connection, this generally gets started when you load Windows 2000 regardless of setting it to Manual. Remote Access Connection Manager: Creates a network connection. Leave this set to Automatic (Gets loaded regardless of whether you are on a network or not). Remote Procedure Call (RPC): Provides the endpoint mapper & other miscellaneous RPC services. I've found that setting this to Disabled causes problems with Internet connection (or rather lack of). Leave it set to Automatic. Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator: Manages the RPC name service database. Leave this set to Automatic. Remote Registry Service: Allows remote registry manipulation. Leave this set to Disabled unless the Network administrator needs to be able to enter each PC's registry remotely (in which case a setting of Manual would be more appropriate). This is also a useful security feature in case some "malicious user" manages to obtain the Administrator's password & intends to do bad things to a remote systems registry. Removable Storage: Manages removable media, drives, & libraries. If you have such devices, e.g. Zip drives (not CD\DVD\Floppy drives), then this set to Automatic. Otherwise you may leave it on Manual. Routing & Remote Access: Offers routing services to businesses in local area & wide area network environments. If that description fits your system/network type then set this to Automatic, otherwise leave it set it to Manual. RunAs Service: Enables starting processes under alternate credentials. You should set this to Manual, this can allow you to say, use Windowsupdate (many updates require you to be logged on as an Administrator to install) when logged on as a user other than the Administrator. Leave it set to Manual. This setting is fairly useful so best not to disable it entirely. To use the RunAs service with Windowsupdate - Click on Start, hold down the shift key, right click on Windowsupdate & click RunAs, then Run the program as BACKUP/Administrator Security Accounts Manager: Stores security information for local user accounts. Leave this set to Manual. Or Automatic if you have applied security policies on your machine/network when users logon. Smart Card: Manages & controls access to a smart card inserted into a smart card reader attached to the computer. If you use a SmartCard (not likely for home users) then you can set this to Disabled or Manual. If you do happen to use a smart card system set this to Automatic. Smart Card Helper: Provides support for legacy smart card readers attached to the computer. If you use a SmartCard (not likely for home users) then you can set this to Disabled or Manual. If you do happen to use a smart card system set this to Automatic. System Event Notification: Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, & power events. Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events. I'd recommend leaving this set to Manual, or Automatic depending on how your system is configured (particularly if on a network). Nearly all home users (like myself) can leave this set to Manual with any problems. Task Scheduler: Enables a program to run at a designated time. Much like Task Scheduler in Windows 98 this can be used to schedule certain programs be to run at specified times & such. Personally I leave this set to Disabled & run the programs myself, although some of you may find it useful in which case you should leave it set to Automatic. TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service: Enables support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP (NetBT) service & NetBIOS name resolution. If you need NetBIOS support then set this to Manual, otherwise leave it Disabled. You should know whether you need it or not. Disabling may improve online security a little too. Telephony: Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices & IP based voice connections on the local computer &, through the LAN, on servers that are also running the service. Leave this set to Automatic, generally this Service is started when you load Windows 2000 anyway, even when set to Manual. Telnet: Allows a remote user to log on to the system & run console programs using the command line. In the event that you still use Telnet (or let others access the machine via Telnet) set this to Manual. Otherwise you can totally Disable it altogether. Uninterruptible Power Supply: Manages an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the computer. If you are connected to such a power supply leave this set to Automatic, otherwise leave it Disabled. Utility Manager: Starts & configures accessibility tools from one window. If you don't use (or have uninstalled) the Accessibilty Tools in Windows 2000 you should set this to Disabled. If you do need to (re) configure Accessibility Tool options set this to Manual Windows Installer: Installs, repairs & removes software according to instructions contained in .MSI files. Leave this set to Manual. This will allow you to install/uninstall/repair programs listed in the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel. You should Disable this if you don't want others to have the ability to be able to change any software installation. Windows Management Instrumentation: Provides system management information. WMI is a management infrastructure in Windows 2000 that supports monitoring & controlling system resources through a common set of interfaces & provides a logically organized, consistent model of Windows operation, configuration, & status. Leave this set to Automatic. Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions: Provides systems management information to & from drivers. As above, you should leave this set to Automatic. Windows Time: Sets the computer clock. This is best left set to Manual. WMDM PMSP Service: Leave this set to Automatic (It gets started up regardless of being set to Manual in my experience). Workstation: Provides network connections & communications. Leave this set to Automatic. This is a "catch all" type setting for those not previously covered. If you notice that some Services that have been set to Manual are be Started upon loading Windows 2000 you should change their Startup type to Automatic. Recovery You can also setup Recovery options for a Service in the event the Service fails for some reason. To do so, go into the Properties of the chosen Service & select the Recovery tab. Although most users should be perfectly fine leaving these settings at their default, a few of you may benefit from changing the default setting. The picture below shows the options available. If you decide to select Run a File it's generally advised that you select one with no user input required. You should really only need to set Reboot the computer if the Service that failed was something critical Final note If you find that any of the Services you have set to Manual are Started when Windows 2000 has loaded (you can check this by loading the Services program in Administrative Tools) you should set it to Automatic instead. Final Results & Conclusion You should now have finished editing your Services settings. This may successfully reduce the memory usage of the Services program (services.exe) in Windows 2000. & you may also have improved the operation of your machine or Network. For example, in my case with default installation settings for Services, it took up about 4MB memory. After changing the Startup type for certain unneeded Services memory usage for services.exe was reduced by almost 60%, down to 1.4MB memory.

Great work Bob.

What an awesome and comprehensive answer. I learned lots of stuff here. You may want to go to www.mlin.net, and download a small (60k) program that controls what is started up when W2K loads.. I got that information from this forum, and now its easy to control what gets started up, and what doesn't (as far as some of the junk in your system tray is concerned). Mike Lin is only 17, but he's really got some good ideas that work really well for windows. You should check his site out. Most, if not all the stuff is freeware.

What a fantastic article! Many thanks Bob!